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Thailand news, politics, business, crime, lifestyle, and tourism—stay updated with breaking news and in-depth analysis from Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pattaya, and beyond.
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Four year anniversary of Phuket’s sinking of the ‘Phoenix’ – 46 people drowned
This week commemorated the fourth anniversary of the rescue of the 13 members of the Wild Boar football team from the Tham Luang Caves in Chiang Rai, a story that gripped international audiences. That story had a happy ending. But the ongoing drama in northern Thailand masked a much sadder story, that of the sinking of the tour boat, the…
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US$37 billion smart city gets green light in Pattaya
Plans to build a US$37 billion smart city in Chon Buri got the go-ahead yesterday by the Eastern Economic Corridor Policy Committee. PM Prayut Chan-o-cha, who chaired the meeting, revealed the smart dream hub can be realised thanks to public and private investment in automotive, robotics, healthcare and logistics companies. The investment will create about 200,000 jobs and accommodate 350,000…
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Thai passenger traffic and flight schedules on the increase
Domestic travel in Thailand is in for a good July, with two long weekends and airlines starting to add to their schedule, resuming flights and frequency that have been otherwise subdued. The Aeronautical Radio of Thailand and the International Air Transport Association are reporting an increased pace of domestic flights in Thailand, matching the general global trend. Nopasit Chakpitak, the…
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BA.4 & BA.5 in Bangkok “will spread to the provinces” – Department of Medical Sciences
Thailand’s Department of Medical Sciences has issued a report about the spread of BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron sub-variants, saying that most of the detected cases have so far been in Bangkok but are expected to spread out the other 76 provinces. The director-general of the Department of Medical Sciences, Dr Supakit Sirilak, says that the two sub-variants – BA.4 and…
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Missing Frenchman found drowned at Ko Chang Lonely Beach
The missing body of a Frenchman lost at sea at Koh Chang’s Lonely Beach yesterday was found this morning. The 22 year old Frenchman, identified as Ramkurran, 22, went swimming yesterday with his Spanish girlfriend, Clara Crospo Canellas, and did not return to shore. The 21 year old woman’s dead body was found at about 8.10am floating in the sea…
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Man in northeast Thailand pays 3.9 million baht dowry… for a buffalo
The owner of a “high so” farm in Korat, northeast Thailand, gave a “dowry” of 3.9 million baht – in cash – for a 22 month old male buffalo named Chaoboonterm from Khon Kaen province. The man said he wants to breed the buffalo, which he said is a “textbook” Thai beauty. Supachai Winitphon, aka “Sia Noi” is the owner…
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Storms cancel ferry service for Koh Samui, Pha Ngan, and Tao
While Surat Thani has been gearing up for a huge holiday weekend, the weather has other plans. Scattered storms with extremely high winds have disrupted power as well as ferry schedules, with Surat Thani Governor Wichawut Jinto ordering the cancellation of all ferry services today until at least tomorrow, including to the popular tourist islands of Koh Samui, Koh Pha…
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Bangkok gov’s ’15 Minute Pocket Parks’ set to bloom
Chadchart Sittipunt’s dream of Bangkok being a lean, green, sustainable machine picked up more momentum at the weekend when promoting his “15 Minute Pocket Parks” policy. The Bangkok governor last month invited the public to plant 1 million trees in the metropolis as part of his campaign to make the city greener. Now, the 56 year old intends on expanding…
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Thailand flies flags at half-mast today in memory of Shinzo Abe
Thailand’s PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has ordered all government agencies and state enterprises to fly their flags to half-mast today in memory of former-Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was assassinated while campaigning in the city of Nara in western Japan on Friday. The request was announced this morning by government spokesperson Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana. PM Prayut has asked all government agencies…
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Dozens of call centre scammers caught in Thai-Cambodia net
Dozens of Thai scammers have been arrested and illegal call centres shut down after a sophisticated months’ long Thai-Cambodian law enforcement operation closed the net on their fraudulent activity. According to different reports, numbers between 15 to 89 Thai scammers took part in a number of illegal activities in Cambodia to extort money by false means in everything from romance…
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“Corpse” floating in Bangkok canal turns out to be old man meditating
Onlookers rightly called the police when they saw a stiff body floating along a murky Bangkok canal. In a frenzy, dozens of people were shouting from the canal side, but the floating man did not respond. Everyone thought he was dead. Until… A brave man jumped into the canal and waded through the mud to check whether the floating man…
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Weather warning in Patong urges people not to go swimming
With storms and high winds around Thailand, lifeguards at the popular Patong Beach in Phuket are warning people of the dangerous surf on the shores of the storm-blown ocean. They urge all swimmers at the beach to only use the safe swimming zones where yellow-red flags are posted and warned that swimming outside the safe areas can be very perilous…
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Chatuchak Market revitalisation planned by BMA and SRT
Once a bustling centre of commerce and socialising, Chatuchak Market has been much quieter since reopening after being closed down because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Now the State Railway of Thailand is cooperating with local authorities in Bangkok and City Hall to try to revive the famous market back to its previous thriving glory. As with most of the tourism…
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BA.2.75 Omicron sub-variant causing “concern” for authorities in SE Asia
The UN and the World Health Organisation is actively following a new sub-lineage designated BA.2.75, another variant of the Omicron derivative of Covid-19 (SARS-CoV-2 ). It was first detected in India and has since been found in 10 other countries. The Director-General of the World Health Organisation, Tedros Ghebreyesus, noted that new Covid-19 infections, globally, have increased nearly 30% over…
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Father & 7 year old son shot as gang warfare erupts in Pattaya
A 7 year old child and his father were shot as gang warfare erupted on the streets of Banglamung district at the weekend. The father and son were caught in the crossfire as two rival gangs of teenagers clashed in a Pattaya neighbourhood on Saturday night. The neck of the boy, Nong Moodaeng, was grazed by a bullet while his…
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Woman’s corpse “naked and covered in bite marks” found in northeast Thailand
Police have launched a murder investigation after a 55 year old woman’s body was found “naked and covered in bite marks” at a house in Buriram province, northeast Thailand, yesterday. The prime suspect in the case so far is the woman’s husband, who mysteriously disappeared around the time of the murder. Officers from Phuttaisong Police Station rushed to a two-story…
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Driver allegedly drunk in fatal car crash in Pattaya
One man died and another was seriously injured yesterday in an alleged drunk-driving incident in the Sri Racha district, between Chon Buri and Pattaya. Driver Somsak Phuchanha was killed instantly after his car crashed into a road barrier causing an electricity pole to collapse onto his vehicle while driving home from a music concert yesterday morning in the Sri Racha…
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Soggy pizza and long hours of waiting – 4 years since the Tham Luang cave rescue
“There were times when kilometres underground standing in waist-deep water, we’d be eating a piece of soft pizza in a break… two guys from different countries, different cultures.” Four years ago, yesterday, the last group of four football players from the Chiang Rai Mu Pa (Wild Boar) team were brought out of the Tham Luang Caves. It took three days,…
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Thailand happy to be pawn in US, China economic war
Thailand still appears to be a pawn in the ongoing economic war between the US and China – or is it? US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Thailand PM Prayut Chan-o-cha, and Foreign Affairs Minister, Don Pramudwinai, on Sunday, as part of his Southeast Asia tour. The Thai PM welcomed the US diplomat and stated his happiness in…
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Flash flood warning issued for 22 provinces of Thailand
Thailand’s Office of the National Water Resources warns that 22 provinces of Thailand are at risk of heavy rain and flash flooding this week, from July 11 – July 15. Areas at risk of flooding include… Northern Thailand Phayao Province, especially Chiang Kam District, Pong District, Pu Sang District and Ngao District. Lampang Province, especially Chae Hom District, Mueang Pan…
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Raising King and Queen Pillars Ceremony near Lieb Tang Rodfai Road in Pattaya
On Friday morning, July 8th, a traditional Thai ceremony took place near the Lieb Tang Rodfai Road in Pattaya to celebrate the rise of eight pillars of a new Eastern Economic Corridor development project (EEC), where five luxury villas and a hotel are scheduled to be constructed. The architect responsible, Mario Kleff, and his construction company Wandeegroup Asia Co. Ltd.,…
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Spanish woman drowns in eastern Thailand, French man missing
A Spanish woman drowned this morning near the island of Koh Chang, located in Trat province in the Gulf of Thailand. The 21 year old woman’s body was found floating a few hundred metres from the island’s Lonely Beach. Her companion, a 22 year old French man, remains missing. The pair had reportedly gone swimming off Lonely Beach during rough…
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Man who shot former Japanese PM reveals hateful motivation
The man who shot former Japanese PM Shinzo Abe has told investigators that he thought Abe was linked to a group that he hated. The man, 41 year old Tetsuya Yamagami, shot Abe during a campaign speech in Nara, western Japan, on Friday. Police have not yet named the group that Yamagami says he hates. Japanese media reported, however, that…
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A jump in Thailand’s Consumer Confidence Index
Thailand’s economy is slowly but surely making a comeback after being devastated by Covid-19 restrictions. Last week, the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce reported that Thailand’s Consumer Confidence Index had risen. The country’s CCI rose from 40.2 to 41.6 in June, the UTCC said. This news comes after Thailand’s CCI had been in decline for several months. April’s…
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Thaiger Charity feat. Bangkok Community Help Foundation
We had the wonderful opportunity to join Bangkok Community Help Foundation to distribute 300 survivor bags that contained food essentials to a community very much in need in On Nut Bangkok. We also had a look into the current living conditions and the garbage re-cycling work they do to make ends meet. With the help of our Thaiger members, viewers…
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Officials say Thailand’s Covid-19 cases to peak in September
Thai officials announced Friday that the number of Covid-19 cases in the country is expected to start rising next week. The CCSA said that in September, the number is expected to hit a peak. The CCSA added, however, that if people follow the Public Health Ministry’s suggestions to avoid crowded spaces and public gatherings, daily infections will start dropping from…
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Sri Lanka PM offers to resign amidst enraged protests
Sri Lanka’s PM offered to resign yesterday, even though he only took office in May, 2 months ago. PM Ranil Wickremesinghe’s offer to resign comes after protestors set his home on fire yesterday. Neither the PM nor the president were inside the house when the protestors set the fire. Meanwhile, over 100,000 enraged protestors also stormed the presidential palace yesterday.…
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Prachin Buri shocked by suicide of local official’s wife
The wife of a local Prachin Buri official was found dead in a car of an apparent suicide with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The chairman of the Tambon Administration Organisation’s wife was found lifeless inside a vehicle that was in the car park of a department store on Saturday afternoon. The gunshot and death were reported to police in Muang…
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Buddha Days, Full Moon Party brings 5-day holiday surge to Surat
The Southern Thailand province of Surat Thani – home to Koh Samui, Koh Pha Ngan, and Koh Tao – is set to see a money-making surge of travellers during next week’s 5-day holiday. The Surat Thani office of the Tourism Authority of Thailand is estimating over 70,000 visitors generating about 833 million baht in tourism revenue for the province. The…
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Mobile app connects tourists to police & Thai rap song threat to national security | Weekend Update
TAT promotes ‘I Lert U’ mobile app to connect tourists to police, Court bans rap song for being a threat to Thailand’s national security, Thailand tourism: India No.1 country sending tourists and nearly 1 million people approved to grow the green in Thailand. All this and your questions answered on Sundays weekend update.
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